Americans For Financial Reform Education Fund

Created in response to the 2008 financial crisis, Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund (AFREF) led the outside campaign that created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and established essential financial reforms. Since then, we have worked to transform the rules of the financial system—rules that shape nearly every aspect of the economy—to advance economic and racial justice while better serving people and communities.

We counter Wall Street’s efforts to extract wealth from marginalized communities and the public at large and its attempts to rig the rules of the financial system to its own advantage. The multiple coalitions we convene are integral to these efforts and include more than 200 consumer, labor, climate, civil rights, and community organizations along with independent experts.

With these partners in the field and in the policy landscape, we engage in advocacy, grassroots and grasstops mobilization, research, and popular education. This ensures that regulators, policymakers, and other key stakeholders are clear on what serves the public interest in areas ranging from consumer lending and housing to climate finance and Big Tech.

For nearly two decades, we have applied our deep policy expertise, regulatory advocacy experience, and proven campaign and strategic insights to win significant policy changes. We have successfully shifted approaches to financial regulation and put bold new policy approaches on the table. We’ve accomplished this all while challenging Wall Street’s power, bringing bold ideas for change to the table, and building the necessary capacity to turn those ideas into action.